MISTLETOE BAY CONFERENCE

Wraight + Associates staff members recently attended a staff conference in the Marlborough Sounds, at the aptly named Mistletoe Bay.

The Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington teams converged at the idyllic Eco-Village… in torrential rain that showed no signs of letting up.

Mercifully though, it did. And so the later arriving Christchurch and Auckland crews were able to complete some new planting for the village in considerably less biblical conditions than those endured by the Wellington pioneers. Thankfully the weather cleared – and jumping off the jetty was a welcome treat, though I must say freezing!

The conference was a fantastic experience, where we learnt about the opportunities and constraints of living in such a remote location and what it means for running a complex that demands off-grid infrastructure. The manager’s Casey and Sharon were great hosts and very informative about the different environmental impacts to the site. In particular, the high volumes of rain the area receives makes for a challenging, fluid landscape, and offer a valuable insight into how the principals of Water Sensitive Urban Design could be utilised to minimise erosion, flooding and silt runoff entering the bay. Wā also conducted a collaborative design workshop with the operators of the lodge, as well as extensive site investigation, to inform a new masterplan for the Trust-managed facility that operates on DOC land.

As the first post for the year, we also wish our clients and collaborators a happy new year. What a great year 2016 was! Bring on 2017!! – NC & NJ